Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 14
FORCE SPECTROSCOPY OF MINERAL
MICROBE BONDS
Brian H. Lower and Steven K. Lower
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Lower.9@osu.edu
14.1 BONDS BETWEEN MICROBES AND MINERALS
There are estimated to be 10
30
prokaryotic cells on Earth, with as many
as 97% living on, or in close proximity to, minerals in soil and subsurface
environments.
1
Bonds between microorganisms and minerals are, therefore,
ubiquitous in nature. Whether a cell forms a bond with a mineral depends
solely on the interplay of attractive or repulsive forces that exist within
the space between a cell and mineral surface. Until recently, it was largely
impossible to probe the forces and structures within this molecular to
nanometre scale space. However, this changed with the invention of the
atomic force microscope (AFM)
2
and its use to measure forces between two
surfaces.
3-6
Within the past decade, there has been an explosion of research focused
on the forces and bonds associated with microorganisms. This chapter will
provide a brief overview of studies that have explored forces and bonds at the
interface between microorganisms and minerals. This chapter will also draw
upon our own expertise by presenting an example of how AFM can be used to
gain an appreciation of one particular mineral-microbe bond, that being the
protein-mediated bond between an iron-reducing bacterium and an Fe(III)-
containing mineral. Before presenting this material, this chapter will provide
a brief consideration of the fundamental forces that delineate and deine the
nature of any bond that forms between a living cell and a mineral surface.
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